Week 8: Reading Diary Assessment

I think for me, the reading diary posts help me keep my focus during the stories. By taking notes for each story, I can really assess the plot and the characters rather than reading through them and forgetting. At the beginning of the semester, I would take too many notes and did not focus on my favorites but once I started doing that, I was really able to start enjoying doing the reading diaries. However, this is not my favorite part of the course so I often end up doing the half-reading option when I have really busy weeks. The half-reading option is a great way to be able to still get the most out of the course when I feel overwhelmed.

I try to keep my diary posts focused on the main points of the plot and which characters stand out to me. The details that really astonish me or leave a lasting impression are very important for me to note too because that helps me remember the stories. I tend to record my thoughts about the story in a personal way. In the future, I am considering noting my favorite quotes and phrases in my diaries as well because that will also help me remember.

I do not add images because I do not believe it would add to the diaries. Adding images would not help me recall my entries!

A few things I am going to try from now on is keeping ahead on my diary readings and being sure to choose a unit that grabs my interest more. I do not often look back on my diaries either so I want to be start doing that as well, but I believe I remember the stories pretty good without looking back too simply because recording my thoughts makes it easier to. These strategies would be helpful in my other classes too because looking back refreshes my memory. Reviewing information over and over helps recall it faster!

Overall, the reading diaries are helpful for me. I would have a much harder time remembering the stories without them, so I am going to stick to my current style of writing but try to review more!

Week 7 Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki)

Here are my notes for the Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) unit.

The Goblin of Adachigahara: The introduction captured because of the rumor of the cannibal goblin haunting the place! A priest gets lost and he ends up at the haunted cottage where an old woman lives. She bids him welcome and tells him to stay for the night because the night is cold! He ends up staying...

The Goblin of Adachigahara (cont.): The priest thinks he has met a wonderful kind soul who has served him dinner. She tells him not to look in the back room and of course he looks, where he finds the bones of people and blood! The old woman turns into her demon self and chases after him but he escapes. Good for him. So the rumors were true.

The Ogre of Rashomon: This one is about a rumor of an ogre cannibal. I see a trend here. General Raiko is known for slaying ogres and so he and his band of five knights are told of the ogre at the Gate of Rashomon. Watanabe tries to lure it out.

The Ogre of Rashomon (cont.): He, of course, confronts the ogre. The ogre is huge and breathed fire but Watanabe is not frightened. He ends up fighting the ogre back and the ogre escapes. He brings the arm back to his comrades to prove the ogre existed. One day an old woman shows up at his door step.

The Ogre of Rashomon (end): The old woman claims to be his old nurse, wanting to see the ogre's arm. He denies her request at first but she talks him into it. Of course the old woman transforms into the ogre and takes his arm back. He escapes once again and never bothers Kyoto again.

The Story of Princess Hase: A royal couple finally has a daughter, but the mother falls ill when she is only five years old. Her mother tells her to be an amazing daughter and grow up to be a good girl. Her father marries a new woman who is mean and cruel to Hase. Hase, however, is too kind and never caused a problem. She was smart, good at music, poetry, and more and so the Emperor asked her to come perform for him.

The Story of Princess Hase (cont): The Emperor had Hase and her stepmother perform, but her stepmother, Terute, failed to do very good. She ended up being replaced and therefor she became very angry and jealous. Eventually, jealous of the fondness her husband had for Hase and not her own son, she tries to poison Hase but ends up killing her own boy. Go figure. Hase ends up well on her way to becoming a poetess!

The Story of Princess Hase (cont. again): Her notoriety rises as she becomes the most gifted poetess ever. She was revered as a miracle worker and commanded to offer poems in prayer to heal sickness and more for the Emperor. She did as she was told and he recovered, so she was praised and given a royal position of Lieutenant-General Princess. The jealous stepmother orders her servant to take Hase to the wild and abandon her, but the servant ends up taking care of her in the wild instead.

The Story of Princess Hase (end): Back home, Hase's father was lied to and told she ran away. During a hunt one day, he stumbles upon the cottage in the wild and finds Hase-Hime. They return home and the stepmother ran away for fear of punishment of her wickedness. Hase lives a happy life after that.

Week 6 Reading Diary: Chinese Fairy Tales

These are my notes from the Chinese Fairy Tales unit.

The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck: The Princess throws her ball to a beggar. The ball is to be caught by the man who will be her husband. Of course, her father is angry. The beggar becomes her husband, sets out to seek his fortune, and disappears for 18 years. He becomes Emperor and because she remained faithful, he took her as Empress. Of course, she was a child of ill luck and died 18 days later.

The Cave of the Beasts: This is about a family with seven daughters. The father finds seven wild duck eggs but wants to eat them himself, except his wife gives them to the children. Being angry, the father decides to lead them away and abandon them for death. Only the youngest daughters went. After a while, the father goes to find them again and realizes his daughters stumbled upon wealth in the cave.

The Panther: A panther stops a woman with her son and asks her to rest. He ends up eating her and her son. He dresses up as the mother and returns home where the two daughters had stayed, pretending to be the mom. This is basically little red riding hood as a panther but the daughters are able to drive him away.

Why Dog and Cat are Enemies:  The dog and cat belong to a family. The family owns a golden ring that they sold for money to eat. In order to get it back, the dog and cat scheme together. The dog ends up doing the hard physical work and the cat brings the ring back to the owners because she is faster. The cat gets the reward while the dog gets scolded.

Yang Oerlang: Yang married the second daughter of the Ruler of Heaven and she ends up with a son, Oerlang. He was gifted and able to turn invisible and shape-shift and move elements. He rescued his mother under the hills but her magic ran out and she was destroyed by the sunlight. Oerlang wanted to destroy the last sun but he becomes a true god.

The Lady of the Moon: Prince Hou I shot down nine of the ten suns of the sky. He is given an herb of immortality but his wife Tschang O eats it and floats away to the moon. The emperor ends up on the moon as well and returns home with gifts and songs.

 The Girl with the Horse's Head or the Silkworm Goddess: The father leaves his daughter behind with just a horse. Promising to marry the horse if he finds her father, he takes off and brings her father back. The horse is killed to protect the girl, but it eventually kidnaps her even in death. She turns into a silkworm in the horse hide cocoon and her silk is expensive. 

The God of War: Guan Di, or Guan Yu, and his friends made a pact to protect their country. He was a great general and unbeatable. He falls into an ambush with his son, and they both die. His ghost was seated upon the ghost of his horse along with the other ghosts. He wants his head back and is a god in the afterlife. 

The Miserly Farmer: A priest asks a pear farmer for a pear, but he refuses to give it. An artisan buys one for him. Turns out the priest has his own pears but needs seeds so he wanted one. He plants the seed and it magically turns into a pear tree. The priest had stolen all the farmer's pears and the farmer's axle was broken. The priest pulled some fast magic over on him.

The King of the Ants: There is a haunted house in Emmet village. There was a sight where hundreds of ants came into the room with hunting banners and game. It was as if the ants were a civilized colony, baring dishes for dinner and more. The scholar gets used to it, but eventually the King of the ants decides to poke fun at the scholar. He asks him if he will serve him then he will allow him to partake in their meals, but the scholar gets angry and smokes all the ants out.

Week 5 Reading Diary: Persian Tales

These are my notes on the Persian Tales unit.

Fayiz and the Peri Wife: The man and woman get married but she has a secret, she is Peri. He did not tell his first family about her. His family at home wanders where the wealth came from and if he doesn't tell, he will lose his wife and children. He ends up losing the Peri woman because he tells his family eventually about her and ends up sad and alone.

The Hemp-Smoker's Dream: He smoked hemp, got a hair cut, and then thought he was the handsomest man ever. Of course, he could have any woman he wanted! So he goes for the Princess of China. The King challenges him to eat all the ash and other tasks. The man's comrades all fight over the Princess. It was just a dream, though.

The Story of the Wolf-Bride: A man's son is fated to die by a wolf, so he imprisons him in a dungeon. The kid is taught by a tutor. Even the kid's wife ends up in the dungeon once he's old enough to wed. Turns out the wife turns into a werewolf and tears him to pieces. I like werewolves.

The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck: There are two brothers, one with luck and one without. People of the country, a gardener, a King that is a woman, a wolf, and a thorn-gather all ask him to ask Luck why their life is no good when he finds it. Luck tells the poor brother straight up the facts why everyone's life is no good and the poor brother takes back all the messages. The poor guy gets eaten by the wolf because of Luck.

Tortoise Bowl-On-The Back and the Fox: The Fox and the Tortoise race it out for the rights to the grains, but the tortoise has his brother stand at the finish line to trick him. Guess the Fox wasn't the only one that tried to pull a fast one on the Tortoise.

The Shepherd Who Found a Treasure: This is about two shepherds. One fell asleep and the other thinks the fly is the sleeping man's soul. The fly gives the other shepherd his tale of a dream where he was searching for treasure but was awaken. Turns out the dream was real and the shepherd that hadn't fallen asleep stole it.

The Merchant and the Saffron:  Malik Ahmad, a wealthy merchant, ends up with some bad luck and loses everything. Someone remembers him from when he unloaded saffron in the mud. It's the man he bought the saffron from. The guy helps him out for years until his luck returns. Pretty happy ending. Nice people.

Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother: Shah Abbas helps the poor mother out since she can't feed her children. The baker doesn't believe that Shah gave her the ring and seizes her, pretending the ring was his. She gets her ears cut off. Shah returns and is able to reprimand the baker... But the baker and the Darogha get crucified in punishment for hurting the wrong person. The wealth all went to the mother and children.

The Apparition of the Prophet Khizr:  The poor man makes a deal with the King to produce the Prophet Khizr in order to pay his debt. When he comes back without him, some of the Wazirs want to murder him in various ways but the last one proclaims the poor man to be Prophet Khizr.

The Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish: So a baker throws all his burnt bread into the river and the fish eat it. A Merchant tricks the Baker into a deadly position so he can get rich and leaves him to die. He throws himself in the river but the fish recognize him and carry him home. He in turn tricks the Merchant into the same position and leaves him to die, except the fish did't save the Merchant.

Week 4 Reading Diary: Turkish Fairy Tales

These are notes over the Turkish Fairy Tales unit.

Fear: A woman tells her son about fear and he sets off in search of understanding what fear is. He meets the robbers who are fearful of ghosts. He does not fear them. He also does not fear the second ghost. He meets Deniz Kyzy, Daughter of the Sea shaking a boat. The boy gets her to leave. Again, he does not fear her. He comes to the alter of goddesses who praise him for never once fearing any of them.

Fear (cont.): The maidens give him the second bracelet to return to the Cadi. He brings back the first bracelet and then returns to finding fear. He was hailed as the new Shah of the country and was not informed that the Shah usually dies. The Sultana (or queen) was able to spook him by scaring him suddenly with a trick, a bird under the soup cover. His mother was brought to him in the palace and the ending was happy.

The Wizard-Dervish: The Great King has no son and was told by the wandering monk that it was the source of his sorrow. The dervish, or monk, gives him a secret to get him a son by using his supernatural powers.The Great King did indeed have a son! At 12 years of age, the dervish kidnaps the little prince and he meets his daughter, who can transform into a dove. The dervish beat the prince until he was happy, understanding that the prince knew nothing. He ends up marrying the girl. Turns out her mother is a witch.

The Wizard-Dervish (cont).: The witch mother is not happy with their marriage and in order to escape her, the maiden turns the boy into a garden and herself into a gardener. As soon as they fooled the mother, they returned on their way until she found them again. This time she turned them into a baker and oven. Again, she turns them into a pond and duck. Finally they hide in an inn and the boy goes to look for carriage, but the dervish finds him and takes him back to the palace. The palace was still in the time of the wedding, so he thinks it's all a dream. The dove finds him and is sad. In the end, he still marries the dove maiden.

The Fish-Peri:  Mahomet, a fisherman, dies and made his wife never tell their son about the fishing. The boy ended up alone and poor, but one day he found his father's net and realized he had been a fisherman. During his fishing trips, his home would magically be cleaned. Turns out it was the fish that turned into a beautiful maiden. She finally becomes his wife, but the Great King becomes jealous and challenges the boy for his wife. The wife, however, sends him on his way telling him not to worry because she desired a cushion.

The Fish-Peri (cont.): The boy had thrown the cushion where the palace was to be built and magic happened. The Padishah, or Greak King, next desires a crystal bridge and the maiden tells the boy to find the Arab and cast the bolster into the sea. The bridge is made. The third test was to throw a feast so magnificent. He gets the coffee-mill but drops it on the way. The next task is to produce a mule from an egg. He accidentally dropped one of the three, and thus he produces only two mules. The Padishah asks for a baby only days old that can speak and walk. The Arab finds him one. The baby beat up the Padishah and the boy was given permission to wed.

The Crow-Peri: Similar to the fisherman, there was a man who caught birds to sell. His son was left without knowing his fathers occupation but finds out anyway. He sells a beautiful bird to the Padishah and the bird is put into a golden cage. The boy was given tons of gold. A lala was jealous and told the Great King to make the boy gather ivory for a new cage. The magic crow helped the boy find it, but the bird of the Great King did not sing. The boy was instructed to find the owner.

The Crow-Peri (cont.): The crow helps the boy again. A ship was built according to the crow's instructions and sailed right. The Queen of mountain is the owner. He takes only the fairy on board and sails away. The fairy was taken to the palace and the bird began to sing. The Padishah married the Queen, but one day the Queen falls ill. With a feather from the crow, he is able to pass the lion guards and save her with the fairy medicine. In the end, the crow was a punished fairy servant but she was forgiven for helping the Queen. The bird-catcher marries her.

Patience-Stone and Patience-Knife: This one is about a poor woman's daughter. Mysterious animals keep telling her that her fate is with a dad man. It drove her crazy.

Week 3 Reading Diary: Jewish Fairy Tales

These are my notes from the Jewish Fairy Tales unit.

The Giant of the Flood: I like that the story is incorporating mythical creatures with the story of Noah's Ark. I love unicorns and adding the giant as a demon is interesting too. Why is the unicorn so big though? It was a bit weird to harness it by the horn so it could swim. I love the way Noah blesses the phoenix with immortality for being so kind. The poor giant, Og, is so sad for having to be Noah's servant! Oh, the part about Og making the wine turn men into sheep, lions, pigs, and monkeys is too good! Too bad Og broke his vow and Moses cut him down.

The Beggar King: King Hagag is indeed a very proud man and does what he wants. After telling the High Priest that the bible needs censored, he takes off for a hunt. The deer turns out to be a genie and is going to teach him a lesson! I wonder what lesson it could be? Oh, wow! The deer genie is pretending to be King Hagag now. The real King Hagag is not taken seriously and everyone thinks he's a beggar of sorts. He is taught that being proud and scoffing at the Holy Bible is punishable! Once the deer genie gives him back his royal title, he is a changed man.

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog: No possible way could the cat and dog be best friends! Well, maybe in this story... They agree to part ways after winter becomes hard. Pussie will hunt at the house of Adam for mice and Doggie will wander further away. Adam and Pussie got along very well! Doggie met the wolf, but he was wounded in battle. The monkey also was mean to him. He wasn't a very good protector of the sheep either. Finally, he reached Father Adam, but he tried to warn him. Pussie learned they have met again and attacks Doggie out of jealousy and betrayal. They could never be friends again.

The Water-Babe: Princess Bathia finds the water-babe and takes the child home to call him her own. He is named Moses. Even the cruel King Pharaoh adored him. He is a very inquisitive child and the King's peers don't approve, convinced he is evil. The story takes a morbid twist when they put the babe to the test, whereas instant death is punishment if he chooses wrong. The princess is given a magic staff that commands her wishes and she uses it to save him. It is a staff that will belong to Moses. He saves the children of Israel!

From Shepherd-Boy to King: David is quite the character. Hearing voices might not be a good thing though! He considers the mountain to be magic since it was barren. Eventually the mountain changes and he finds that it must be a unicorn. After slipping from its back, he is face to face with the lion. A deer passes by to save him. He actually did become king.

The Magic Palace: This one is about Ibrahim, a pious man, starving with his wife and five sons. He sets out to seek work and meets a man that proclaims he is his slave, an Arab man. The Arab man is a builder and Ibrahim finds it beautiful, thus bringing the architect to a merchant of the city. They negotiate a price to build a palace. In such a small amount of time, it is complete and the Arab is free. Turns out, it was Elijah the Prophet!

The Sleep of One Hundred Years: In Jerusalem, Rabbi Onias traveled towards the city. The First Temple has been destroyed and he comes upon a man in sorrow. I agree that the city Zion reminds me of the dead! Suddenly a hundred years pass by and Onias wakes to find himself old and grey... How strange. The carob trees had grown! He meets his grandson and the Temple had been rebuilt. He fell back asleep and awakened in a new world. This story really confused me!

King for Three Days: This one is about Godfrey de Bouillon, a general and leader! He marched to the Holy Land in command of armies. I think I'm going to like this one. It appears that he was a very cruel man and wanted to kill the Jews... Remind you of anyone? Me too. Rashi, a rabbi, refuses to bless his massacre of the Jews. He tells Godfrey that he will claim Jerusalem but only rule for three days. Despite being terrified, Godfrey parts ways. The prophecy was true and his armies dwindled after three days and he was defeated in the city, a broken man…

The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace: This story is about Sarah and Abraham! She is a beautiful women and reminds me of the story of Cupid & Psyche. Out of fear for her safety, or maybe just jealousy, Abraham sealed his wife in a box and told the city officials he carried barley! To conceal her, he is willing to pay the highest of taxes to get her into the city. They keep raising the price, assuming he is hiding something valuable. Unfortunately, Sarah is found and brought to the king. Abraham prayed for her safety, shielded from his anger. A spirit protects her from the king's touch. The king begs Abraham to help him and he tells the king the truth, Sarah is his wife.

The Rabbi's Bogey-Man: Here we are in the city of Prague with Rabbi Lion. A lot of good details are used to make this scene really come alive. Apparently he is a terrifying person due to his knowledge and such, often called a magician. He made a mechanical woman, what?! She ends up running loose... Go figure. The majesty is outraged that he made a "living creature" and Rabbi Lion was scrutinized. The children began to see his creature as the "bogey-man." The creature ends up with a will of its own, wanting to fight for the king. He had to destroy his own creation. 

The Fairy Frog: Hanina is the song this story is about. The merchant tries to sell him a casket. He took the casket home and continued to build around it, despite it needing to grow in size. A frog taught his wife the word of man. A learned sage among his peers. He is the fairy son of Adam and brings to them the word of Adam. They end up famous for their treasures and live in happiness.

Week 2 Reading Diary: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche

These are my notes from the Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche unit.

The Captive Woman: There is so much detail describing the hunger and thirst of the character, Lucius the man turned into a donkey, and the details of poverty driving robbers to such lengths is deep. The poor girl, though! It really caught me off guard when she lost her wits and violently hurt herself! The old woman was brutal at the end when threatening the rich captive!

Her Dream: Okay... So she had a dream of being kidnapped on her wedding day. It is a sad dream to be ripped from your lover's arms and to see him murdered. The old woman began telling her to fear not and begins the story. I'm ready for more!

Psyche's Beauty: I love the references to the goddess Venus and the detail of her coming forth from the sea, even though it's just about her beauty. Even more so, I love that Venus herself became angry at being compared to a mere human. I was very surprised at her wish for vengeance on Psyche though! Psyche is in for real trouble.

The Oracle of Apollo: I feel so bad for Psyche because beauty alone does not get her happiness!Lead your daughter, King, to her fatal marriage.

That line really caught my attention. I love the tragedy in it. In fact, the whole reply was creepy. The whole funeral was pretty creepy too with a red veil and a funeral description. I'm wondering what is going to happen to Psyche... The demon children will be an interesting read if that is really in her future!

The Magical Palace: I love the detail of the palace, divine and godly. I feel like this is trap though, since the invisible servant told her all the riches and the palace are hers. She's being treated as if she were Venus herself.

The Mysterious Husband: Not knowing who your husband is could really be nerve-racking... Psyche was given just one piece of advice, not to call to her sisters. But the husband allowed her such wishes, with new advice... She is tempting fate by demanding so much and tricking him into agreeing!

The Jealousy of Psyche's Sisters: Uh-oh, the inquisitive questions from the sisters began... Jealousy of their sister's wealth and home is going to lead to bad times. They are cruel with the things they say, wanting to punish Psyche for the lie she told them about a handsome husband.

Psyche's Husband Warns Her: Wow, this story just got really dark. Psyche's wicked sisters are really planning to murder her?! I do, however, love the references to the Harpies, Sirens, and Furies. I wish she would listen to her husband and take his advice! She keeps talking him into giving her what she wants but I know it is going to lead her to harm, especially seeing her evil sisters again.

Fears and Doubts: Did I mention I love Zephyr? Such an awesome entity. Psyche really should have kept her story straight, because her sisters are on to her lies about her husband! It would be easy to be convinced of the tale Apollo gave her since she trusts her sisters still. Psyche, do not listen to them! Unmasking him will lead to woe.

Psyche's Husband Revealed: I knew it! Cupid is actually a very attractive man and is her husband. I was a bit shocked at the end when he revealed that he betrayed Venus and married her instead of harming her. I knew all along that if she had just heeded his advice, her life would have been much happier! Oh, the cruel irony!

Psyche's Despair: I am happy that the stream responded to her attempt at her life, because it really forms a bit of bittersweet irony to the whole story. The arrival of Pan and Echo made me excited! I love the mythology so much. The fact that she used her sisters' jealousy against them is awesome, although very disturbing since her sisters jumped over the cliff and died thinking they would be Cupid's next love. That was so dark!

Part 2

Venus and the Goddesses: Oh my gosh! How angry Venus was to find out Cupid had fallen for Psyche! She told him off and threatened to give his goods to a slave, ouch! Then she even threatened to break his bow and arrows and ruin his looks. She did not appreciate that Juno and Ceres defended Cupid's love for Psyche.

Psyche's Prayer: Psyche found Ceres in the temple on the mountain. I honestly think Psyche is a sweet girl, since she sorted the temple's harvests. I felt so bad for Psyche as she pleaded for shelter from Venus and Ceres turned her away because of their friendship! Even Juno denied her request for safety, because Venus is her daughter-in-law and their laws prevent her! Poor Psyche!

Venus and Mercury: I love the description of Venus' chariot, made by Vulcan himself. The Heavens are described some splendidly. We finally meet Mercury, the messenger god! The reward for finding Psyche made me laugh. Everyone would go crazy for kisses from Venus. I'm fearful for Psyche now that she turned herself in.

Venus and Psyche: Anxiety and Sorrow sound like very terrible servants to have. I had forgotten that Psyche was carrying a child. I feel terrible that she has been tortured and flogged. Venus is so cruel, assigning her such an impossible task after hurting her so much... I love the ants, taking pity of poor Psyche and helping her.

Psyche's Next Task: Together but apart, the lovers remain. It really aches my heart! Psyche's next task is to retrieve the golden wool of the sheep in the forest... What could go wrong? I love that the nature and the animals are taking pity on Psyche and keep helping her. The green reed told her how to get the fleece from the branches it is stuck on. Of course, Venus continues to give Psyche impossible tasks, next sending her to Styx and Cocytus to retrieve the liquids.

Task Accomplished: Jupiter's favorite royal eagle, Providence, comes to aid Psyche before she can attempt to commit suicide once again or attempt to get the liquid from the river... I see a pattern here. Providence is a buddy to Cupid. He takes the phial and claimed to the river that he collected on Venus' request, and thus he retrieved the freezing liquid for Psyche. What a nice eagle!

Jar of Beauty: Here we go to the underworld, all board! We get to meet Proserpine finally. Psyche once again wants to throw herself from a high place, but likewise is told by the turret to chill. It explains to her to go to Achaean Sparta, which is a super cool name. All the names are cool. There's a portal there. The barley-cake soaked in honeyed wine and two coins in the mouth are weird, but it's for Charon.  He explains that all the traps Venus have set for her by not following close instructions. I seriously hope she doesn't open the no-no jar of divine beauty...

The Sleep of the Dead: But of course she did... Jeez, Psyche. She was put in a Stygian sleep. Cupid, however, wakes her before it's too late and keeps her from ruining her chances again. Cupid asks Jupiter support in being with Psyche, but he has to offer another girl of outstanding beauty...

The Wedding Feast: Jupiter blesses their marriage, finally! Psyche is brought to Heaven and Venus is told to stop being cruel, because it will be legitimate. She drinks ambrosia and they are forever together. Their daughter was named Pleasure. I love it. Now we are back to the old lady and the kidnapped noble, but now we are hearing it again from Lucius the donkey's perspective. I am concerned the robbers want to end his life since he's an old donkey!

The Escape: That old lady has some guts. If it were me, I would've let go and let the run away donkey disappear into the night! It really does remind me of Hercules. The kidnapped girl hops on, and off they go! The ending is so funny, because she promises him fortune and shelter if he returns her home, and she makes references to the tale of Psyche. She guessed it right, the donkey concealed a human!